Job summary
- Main area
- Pharmacy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 5
- Contract
- 10 months (fixed term contract / secondment opportunity until 30th June 2026)
- Hours
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 234-25-E0341-A
- Employer
- Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital
- Town
- Norwich
- Salary
- £31,049 - £37,796 per annum, pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 07/09/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 18/09/2025
Employer heading

Pharmacy Technician – Dispensary and Clinical Support
NHS AfC: Band 5
At NNUH it is our privilege to provide healthcare to over one million people across Norfolk and surrounding areas. Our vision is to ‘provide the best care for every patient’, and if this inspires you and you share our values, we really want you to join our team.
NNUH is currently the busiest Trauma Unit in the East of England caring for almost 850 trauma patients annually many with complex care needs. We are enhancing our urgent and emergency care specialist services for patients with significant injuries as a result of trauma and have an ambition to become a Major Trauma Centre.
Our values support our vision and guide the behaviour of everything we do, these are:
People-focused
We look after the needs of our patients, carers and colleagues, to provide a safe and caring experience for all.
Respect
We act with care, compassion and kindness and value others’ diverse needs.
Integrity
We take an honest, open and ethical approach to everything we do.
Dedication
We work as one team and support each other to maintain the highest professional standards.
Excellence
We continuously learn and improve to achieve the best outcomes for our patients and our hospital.
Wish you were here? So do we.
We want all our staff to achieve a balance between work and personal life and understand how important flexible working can be. We welcome applications on a full or part time basis, various shift patterns and hybrid working, where roles allow.
At the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH), we know the benefits diversity can bring to our organisation such as creativity, innovation and compassion. All of which have a direct impact towards our staff and patient experience. We are committed to being a Hospital for All – being equitable and inclusive, and a place where all feel a sense of belonging. We therefore particularly encourage and welcome applications from candidates who are underrepresented in NNUH’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, people with diverse abilities and people within the LGBT+ community.
Job overview
Fixed term contract/secondment opportunity until 30th June 2026
Are you an experienced Pharmacy Technician looking to develop and enhance your practice and skills in both a ward and clinic environment? This is an opportunity to work as a central member of a large multidisciplinary team focused on ensuring the safe and effective use of medicines throughout the surgical pathway, in both the pre-operative assessment clinic, and on the surgical wards.
You should be dedicated, flexible and able to work in a high pressured, busy and demanding working environment. Although working within a team, you will also need to work independently and have excellent decision-making capabilities. You will need to be enthusiastic, have excellent communication skills and a genuine interest in developing your skills and knowledge. You will be expected to use a number of computer-based systems and, therefore, will have good IT skills.
If you are considering applying for this post on a secondment basis, please discuss with your Line Manager prior to applying to ascertain whether this could be supported.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be required to have final accuracy checking (ACPT) accreditation, medicines management skills (assessment of patients own drugs, supply of medicines for inpatient use and discharges), medicines related patient counselling, drug history taking, to demonstrate effective leadership and be a role model to junior members of the pharmacy team. The post holder will be supported through in house training and competencies to work independently in a clinic environment.
In house training for this role will involve becoming familiar with trust policies for amending medication around surgery and developing the competence to give this advice independently under remote supervision from the Lead Pharmacist. In house drug history and checking competencies will also need to be obtained if not already held.
All staff are required to participate in the weekend rota with corresponding time off during the week, currently 1 in 10. All staff are required to undertake at least one public holiday duty per year. All rotas are subject to review at any time.
Working for our organisation
Join us at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and be part of a workforce of over 10,000 staff!
The NNUH is one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK, providing first-class acute care for around one million people, living in Norfolk and surrounding areas. We are a teaching and research hospital, at the forefront of innovation, home to state-of-the-art facilities, such as the Quadram Institute. We are pleased to work closely with the University of East Anglia, providing teaching opportunities for our staff and placement opportunities for their students. We attract some of the best and leading professionals from across the country and are proud that our workforce represents 94 countries from across the world.
We are a friendly, collaborative hospital, working with local services and home to N&N Hospitals Charity.
We can offer you the full range of NHS benefits/discounts and in addition:
- Flexible working hours
- Fast Track Staff Physiotherapy Service
- Multi Faith prayer room at NNUH Colney Lane site
- Discounted gym memberships
- Excellent pension scheme and annual leave entitlement
- Wagestream - access up to 40% of your pay as you earn it
- Free Park & Ride service direct to NNUH Colney Lane site
- Free 24-hours confidential counselling support
- On-site Nursery at NNUH Colney Lane
- On-site cafes offering staff discounts at NNUH Colney Lane
- Support in career development
- Flexible staff bank
- Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars, Cycle to Work scheme and home electronics
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Day to day duties will include providing care for elective surgical patients as part of their pre-operative assessment. You will be working in the clinic environment with nurses, healthcare assistants and anaesthetists, and will work together to achieve positive patient outcomes. You will be working independently organising clinic lists, taking drug histories and making medication amendments, overseen by the Lead Pharmacist. There may be the opportunity for teaching to trainee nurses and pharmacists, alongside accommodation placement students.
You will also work on the surgical wards as a ward-based technician carrying out drug histories and assisting with discharge and inpatient medication supply, alongside promoting positive medicines management. The role also consists of a weekly slot in the main pharmacy dispensary, carrying out a dispensing or checking role depending on the candidates qualifications.
To support the delivery of a high quality, safe and compassionate healthcare service, all staff are expected to act as a role model to others in all aspects of their work and consistently demonstrate NNUH’s ‘PRIDE’ values of People focused, Respect, Integrity, Dedication and Excellence and demonstrate behaviours that support and encourage an inclusive culture.
- To provide, in conjunction with the appropriate Clinical Pharmacy Practitioners, a ward technician medicines management service on specified wards
- To undertake drug history taking in conjunction with the appropriate Clinical Pharmacy Practitioners on specified wards
- To be responsible for ensuring timely supply of appropriate discharge medication for specified wards
- To provide counselling advice to patients on their medicines, providing advice to patients and carers about compliance issues
- To liaise with the Clinical Pharmacy Practitioners and Senior Pharmacy Technicians in Dispensary and Stores to inform of current medicines use on the wards in order that optimal ward stocks are maintained. To be responsible for processing drug returns on specified wards
- To organise and undertake the dispensing and distribution of all medicines against a previously clinically checked prescription or request in line with departmental policies and procedures and the Medicines Act 1965 using the JAC computer system
- To dispense all controlled drugs (CDs) against a recognised order of previously clinically checked prescription in line with departmental policies and procedures and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 using the JAC computer system
- To maintain documentation to support the dispensing of all medicines including CDs
- To lead in the replacement of Dispensary stock including the ordering, receipt and maintenance of stock records in liaison with the Senior Pharmacy Technician, Stores
- To issues medicines to all outpatients attending the Pharmacy Department to include giving appropriate advice and counselling to ensure the effective use of medicines by the patient
Please see the attached job description for full details.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Current registration as a Pharmacy Technician with the General Pharmaceutical Council
- Accredited checking Technician for final checking of dispensed medicines
Experience
Essential criteria
- Previous experience in hospital pharmacy
- Able to work under pressure
Skills
Essential criteria
- Communication skills – oral and written
Attitude, aptitude
Essential criteria
- Able to work as part of a team with a flexible approach to duties
- Effective role model, demonstrating NNUH’s PRIDE values of People focussed, Respect, Integrity, Dedication and Excellence
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Jess Tunnard
- Job title
- Advanced Specialist Pharmacist
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01603 647527
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